The Missouri Capitol's Legislative Library is closed indefinitely as a result of "life safety concerns," according to an email sent to legislators and their staff.
Contractors investigating a crack in the dome above the library conducted a structural analysis of the area Jan. 24. The library was then closed around noon Friday.
"The preliminary report found enough points of failure in the dome to suggest the immediate evacuation of personnel from (the) space due to life safety concerns," Dana Rademan Miller, House administrator and chief clerk, wrote in an email to Capitol employees.
Miller was not immediately available for an interview Monday or Tuesday.
The temporary closure of the library will limit some of the services it provides, according to a subsequent email sent by library administrator Nathan Elwood.
The public, lawmakers and their staff are unable to check out books from the library's collections because they are unavailable with the area closed off. Newly ordered books or other print materials received after Feb. 10 are available to check out.
All other library services remain accessible online through the library website or direct contact with Elwood.
The Legislative Library contains a variety of historical documents and records, including House and Senate journals from 1800 to present, revised state statutes from 1825 to present, a small collection of books focused on Missouri history and legislative policies, law reviews, policy journals and more.
"We hope to reopen the library main area as soon as possible," Elwood wrote.
Senate Administrator Patrick Baker said Tuesday morning he does not yet have any indications for what the repair cost or timeline will be. The Senate is responsible for the Legislative Library, and Baker is chairman of the Missouri State Capitol Commission, which is tasked with the preservation, restoration and renovation of the Capitol building and recording its history.
Baker said the library will function largely the same as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic when operations were remote.
He said he didn't know how many points of failure the structural analysis identified, but the issues are primarily within the internal structure of the ceiling and how it is affixed together. Baker said it's an expected complication associated with occupying a building that is more than 100 years old.
Contractors discovered the life safety concerns because the Capitol Commission and Office of Administration are already studying the dome above the library for repairs.
Lawmakers last session appropriated more than $321 million for repairs throughout the Capitol, with some funds earmarked for specific projects. More than $4 million was designated for the Capitol's plumbing system, $1.2 million for the south lawn fountain, $1 million for the Joint Committee Room and $400,000 for the bronze doors.
Another $300 million was set aside for the Capitol Commission to begin carrying out its master plan and more than $14 million was earmarked for Capitol Complex repairs.
Baker said last September that repairing the crack in the dome ceiling above the Legislative Library was an active project with those funds.
Julie Smith/News Tribune
Due to safety concerns for users of the Capitol Library, the room has been closed off to the public and legislators and research staff who may typically avail themselves of the volumes of materials typically kept on hand. Multiple cracks in the interior surface of the domed ceiling are visible and fear that the materials could break loose and fall have caused the room to be marked off limits for use.